Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 4, Episode 14 - Curse of the Daanav - full transcript

I must congratulate your
wife. Not every woman can

wear that jewel and remain
untouched by its curse.

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote.

It must be pretty tough being
replaced as Daddy's little princess.

- Somebody help me, please!
- How could this happen?

I suspect the police will
want to know the same thing.

- You're sure there was no one
else in the room when you broke in?
- No one human.

This is my ruby—
Curse or no curse.

Oh, my God.

Get up! Get up!

Okay. Now you
can open your eyes.



Richard!

Surprised? It's beautiful.

Not half as beautiful
as the woman wearing it.

- But it'll catch
an eye or two at the party.
- You want me to wear it tonight?

Of course. Oh, Richard.

All your friends will
take one look at it and

think I married you for
your money. Besides,

this puts the gift I'm giving
you to shame. Nonsense.

I mean, it's all very
exciting, being swept

off my feet and
honeymooning all over Europe,

but, darling, I married you for
you, not for parties and jewels.

Those things are— Well,
they're a bit overwhelming.

Poor Alice.

You'll get used to it.



As Mrs. Richard
Hazlitt, you'll have to.

- And you do want to
do me proud, don't ya?
- Of course I do.

Then wear that ruby.

Yes?

Well, where did you two
have breakfast? Tiffany's?

Isn't it lovely? Your father
bought it as a surprise.

Really? Well, considering everything else
he's bought, it doesn't surprise me at all.

But then, he's always
been very generous.

- Haven't you, Daddy?
- To a fault, in some cases.

Oh, come now, Daddy. What's the point
of having money if you don't spend it?

Besides, all I want's
a measly thou.

You can call it an
advance on my inheritance.

Carolyn, honey,

these advances are becoming
an all-out major assault.

I don't print the stuff, and
I don't grow it out back.

I work hard for my money.
"I work hard for my money."

- I know.
- Then you should start
spending it accordingly.

Carolyn,

you have to learn you can't
buy everything you want.

Why not?

You have.

That's a chip off the old block.

Hey, Sis. What's the rush? Afraid some
trendy new fashion will start without you?

Funny, Mark. I really
need your caustic wit.

Uh-oh. Trouble at the bank?

Nothing getting rid of the new
assistant manager wouldn't solve.

Yeah, well, Alice doesn't exactly
top my Christmas list either.

Aw, it must be pretty tough being
replaced as Daddy's little princess.

Not as tough as being replaced
by the new heir apparent.

- What are you talking about?
- Oh, come on.

Daddy's old, not dead. If
he and Alice have a son,

who do you think she'll see
inherits the business, hmm?

Never happen. Oh, no?

And how do you
propose to stop it?

Seth Hazlitt, you are a
monument to mulishness.

You can say what you like,
woman— You usually do...

But I'm not going,
and that's that.

Oh, but it's so close.
It's in Maryland.

I have not spoken to my brother in over
30 years. I see no reason to start now.

Besides, we have to
get back to Cabot Cove.

You've got to see that real
estate agent about your vacant lot...

before he runs off to that family
reunion of his up in Moscow, Idaho.

Yes, but there's
plenty of time for that.

Now, look, we came here to
confer with our congressman.

We've done that. I'd like to get the
next plane home. You understand?

Even when your brother
holds out an olive branch?

Being invited to some polo match doesn't
mean that Richard wants to square things.

But why else would he
send you an invitation?

Honestly, Seth,
he's your only family.

Now, whatever's
gone on between you,

doesn't he at least deserve
the chance to set things straight?

All right.

All right. I'll go.

On one condition.
That you go with me.

Oh, no. This was your idea.

If you don't go, I don't go.

Simple as that. Oh, all right.

Yeah! Yeah. Come on!

Beautiful, Mark! Yes!

Watch what you're doin'!
Don't let him in there!

You idiot.

That was so close, Mark.

That was a pretty stupid move. That's
the third match in a row you've lost, Son.

- Why the hell don't you get off my back, Dad?
- Why the hell don't you learn
to play the game?

And there's someone
who could teach you.

Vikram! Vikram Singh!

Great match!

Oh, dear. I think we've
missed the entire match.

Well, so much for
that driver's shortcuts.

Well, look on the bright side.

Maybe the maid I spoke to forgot
to tell him we were coming anyway.

Excuse me. Dr. Hazlitt?

Carolyn?

Well, of course. How
nice to meet you at last.

It's Alice. Alice
Hazlitt. Richard's wife.

And I'm delighted you were able to
come. This is my father, Bert Davies.

- Oh, happy to meet you, Doc.
- How do you do, sir?

This must be the missus.

No. No, no. I'm
Jessica Fletcher.

A friend of mine from Down East.

Seth?

Richard.

Congratulations. You
have a... lovely wife.

How did you know I'd remarried?

Your invitation
made it fairly obvious.

My invitation?

You did send me an
invitation to be here?

Actually, I'm the
one who sent it.

- You?
- Well, when I learned that you two
had been on the outs for years,

I thought it might give you a
chance to try and patch things up.

That's my Alice. Always
trying to mend fences.

Well, heaven knows, we can
all stand a few more of those.

Now, I insist that you come to the
party. You and Mrs. Fletcher can stay over.

- No. That's impossible.
- I'll have your luggage
sent from the hotel.

- There's plenty of room. Right, Richard?
- Of course. There's plenty of room.

Good. Now, see, that
wasn't so hard. And

we'd adore having you,
wouldn't we, darling?

Apparently so.

♪

♪

- Oh, I'm sorry. Uh, did
you— - No. That's all right.

Plenty more where
they came from.

Oh, Mr. Davies. I'm
sure you know Mr. Singh.

- Indeed I do.
- A pleasure to see you again.

Likewise, I'm sure. Him
being with the Indian embassy,

I was telling him how much I
enjoyed that picture, Gunga Din.

Oh, Uncle Seth. Having
fun at Daddy's little soiree?

Don't be absurd,
Carolyn. No one has fun.

One simply survives
from one drink to the next.

I was just saying to Mr. Singh, I was so
sorry that we missed the whole polo match.

Believe me, Mrs. Fletcher,
you didn't miss a thing.

Oh, I disagree. Before your fall,
you'd managed to score three goals.

A most impressive
accomplishment. Cigarette?

Oh, don't mind if I do.
Ah. Turkish, huh? Thanks.

Why not? God knows I've
smoked everything else.

These are quite strong, really.

Mark, you think you'll ever find
the strength to give those up?

Look at Alice. She stopped
the day we got married.

Just like that. Well,
not quite just like that.

The Eye of the Daanav.

Mr. Hazlitt, I must
congratulate your wife.

Not every woman can wear that
jewel and remain untouched by its curse.

- Curse?
- That ruby is the all-seeing eye...

of a powerful Indian
demon we call the Daanav.

A golden-hooded cobra
who commands everything

that is dark and
evil in this world.

Angered by its theft
more than a century ago,

the Daanav laid a
curse upon the stone...

to rob the breath
of life itself...

from one who's
heart is less than pure,

killing them most horribly.

Ah, you don't believe
that rot, do you?

Well, I imagine we all find

beliefs that we don't
share a little baffling.

Yes. Well, this one has
scare tactic written all over it.

Seems you're wearing a national
treasure, my dear. Or damn near to it.

Mr. Singh's already offered
me twice what I paid for it.

Considering the delicate
nature of this matter,

I think my government would prefer
it if our discussions remained private.

Well, you tell them from me there
aren't gonna be any more discussions.

This is my ruby.

I intend to keep it—
Curse or no curse.

Alice.

So many people to meet.
And I've yet to give you your gift.

You wait in the study, and I'll
go and get it for you. Excuse us.

♪

♪

Help! Can anybody
hear me? I can't get out!

Somebody help me, please!

♪

Well, anyways, I
think I'd lost it when I

remember I left it out
in the car this afternoon.

That's funny. This
door's never locked.

Something wrong? My keys.
I must have left 'em upstairs.

What's this?

Oh. What do you know?

Listen. What's that? Like one
of the cars was left running.

Dear God. Alice!

Alice! Alice!

Oh, my God! What is it? Alice!

Well, it's a lovely party,
Richard, but where's our hostess?

That's a good question.

She disappeared about
15 minutes ago to get that

surprise present for me.
Haven't seen her since.

Somebody, quick,
call an ambulance!

Alice? What happened?

Carbon monoxide.
The garage is full of it!

Richard, call the paramedics.
We'll get her into the study.

God's truth, Mrs. Fletcher,

if I hadn't nipped out to get
my pipe, she'd be a goner.

As it is— Well, believe
me, Mr. Davies,

Alice couldn't be
in better hands.

Excuse me. The
paramedics are on their way.

It's all right, Richard.

She's coming around.

My God.

How could this happen? I suspect the
police will want to know the same thing.

- The police? What do we need with them?
- My daughter was nearly murdered.

- What?
- Well, apparently they found her
locked in the garage,

and she couldn't get
out. That's ridiculous.

- Must have been
some sort of accident.
- Accident?

I sure as hell intend to
find out who caused it.

Now, do you call them or do I?

Are you sure that you shouldn't go
to the hospital? No, really, I'll be fine.

At least for now.

Alice, what happened out there?

I wish I knew.

Oh, excuse me. Lieutenant
Ames? Oh, that's right.

You a member of the family?
Uh, well, I'm Jessica Fletcher.

I'm a friend of a member of the
family. A very concerned friend.

Well, and the way things
look, you should be. Oh?

Well, working the, uh, Washington
burbs, you see a lot of this sort of thing,

and believe me, Mrs.
Hazlitt would not be the first

to crack under the
pressure of life at the top.

Are you suggesting that
this is a suicide attempt?

But she was only gone from
the party for 15 minutes. So?

Well, uh, I'm not
exactly an expert, but, uh,

I've certainly never heard
of a would-be suicide...

turning on an engine
and then going off to a

party to wait for the
garage to fill up with gas.

Which must be what happened here because it
had to have taken longer than 15 minutes.

Who did you say you
are? Jessica Fletcher.

- I was out from Washington for the
day with— - You're from Washington?

Well, no. Actually, I was there for
a meeting with Congressman Hale.

Everett Hale? The head of the House
Committee on, uh, Secret Intelligence?

Well, yes, but frankly, I fail to see
what that has got to do with this.

Oh, sure. I get it.

Uh, pardon me, Lieutenant.
Uh, you—you get what?

Ma'am, I understand. It's
strictly, uh "need to know," right?

Well, you need to know the bottom
line before you go ruling out suicide.

Uh, yeah. Excuse me,
Lieutenant. Uh, you've lost me.

What are you talking about?

This. The bottom line.

I found it locked
in the ignition.

"A" is for Alice.

Yes, of course it's mine, Lieutenant. But
I've no idea how it got locked in the car.

I always keep it on a hook near the
back door. Anyone could have taken it.

I see. Now, you said the electric door
wouldn't work. You checked the plug?

Well, no. I pushed
the button a few times,

and when I saw it wasn't working, I
ran back to try and get out the side door.

Yeah? Well, isn't that funny?

The electric door— When
I tried it, it worked fine.

Could be that you
got a little bit confused.

After all, inhaling that
much carbon monoxide...

bound to cause a certain
amount of disorientation.

The paramedics said
it could have caused far

worse than that— if
you hadn't been there.

Well, that must
be it, Lieutenant.

Alice probably got confused by the
fumes and locked the side door herself.

Even so, that still wouldn't
explain who started the car.

She's right.

If I hadn't have missed my
pipe, Alice would have been dead.

If I ever get my hands on the joker who
pulled that, their kidding days are over.

You saying that
this was an accident?

There's no other
possible explanation.

Well, in that
case, I'll be going.

You've, uh, got my card.

If there are any more
accidents, feel free to call.

You need my help on this,
you got it. O.T.R. or not.

Uh, what? O.T.R. "On
the record"... or not.

There you go, love.

Now you sit tight whilst I get an aspirin
and a glass of water. I won't be a tick.

Here. Let me give you
a hand with that. Thanks.

I keep going over
and over it in my mind.

But I know I didn't lock
that door myself. I know it.

Alice, did anyone else know where
you had hidden Richard's present?

Well,

Carolyn was the one
who suggested the garage

when I asked her for
a safe place to put it.

Well, Mark knew as well.

Do you remember? He drove
up just as we was hiding it.

Well, that's right. But
surely you don't think...

I mean, I know they've had some
trouble accepting me, but honestly,

I'd sooner believe it
was the Daanav's curse

than think that one
of them was involved.

I got rid of everyone
as soon as I could.

Poor darling. Is there
anything I can do?

Well, perhaps if you
could put this in the safe.

I-It's not that I'm worried
about the curse or anything.

It's just that, well, it would be more
secure locked away, wouldn't it?

Well, what happened to
Alice had to be an accident.

It's just luck she
wasn't killed. Luck...

and your brother.

Well, Seth was
pretty impressive.

I didn't realize he had it in him
to be so cool under pressure.

Well, not having
spoken in so long,

I imagine there are a number of impressive
things about Seth that you don't know.

Perhaps I overstay my welcome,

but I wished to
express my personal

condolences for your
wife's unfortunate mishap.

Thank you. Excuse me.

Mr. Hazlitt, but for the grace of a
God we cannot hope to understand,

your wife could
very well be dead.

Now will you trust that the curse of
the ruby is true? Listen. You son of a...

I told you once. I don't
believe in all that garbage.

And now I'm telling you again.

This ruby is not for sale.

Not now or ever.

You understand?

If I find out that you pulled that stunt
in the garage to try to change my mind,

I swear to God... I'll kill you.

Seth.

You scared me to death.

I don't know about you,
but I sure could use a drink.

Join me? Why not?

Scotch, rocks
with a twist, right?

Right.

Remember that time...

when we got bombed on some
of Dad's best Irish whiskey...

and tried to join the marines?

The recruiting officer
took one look at our faces,

said, "All right, boys. Come
back when you're sober...

and when you're at least 17."

Yes, sir. The two of us going
off to save the world together.

Together.

What the hell happened?

Molly happened.

Seemed like about
a million years ago.

You and me and Molly.

We wanted to tell you, Seth.

We just didn't know how.

So, figurin' actions speak
louder than words, you eloped.

We hated running off like that.

But when we got back,
you'd already left for Portland.

I guess I could have
tried harder to reach you.

But with my business taking
off and the kids coming along...

and Molly gettin'
sick like that...

and goin' so fast,

I just never found the words...

to say I'm sorry.

You're sorry?

Oh, Richard, I'm the
one that should apologize.

If I hadn't been too blind
to see how Molly felt,

the two of you wouldn't have
had to run away in the first place.

By the time I did realize it, I suppose
I did a little running on my own.

Even after I'd
married Ruth, I still

couldn't bring myself
to make the first move.

And now Ruth's gone too.

And here we sit.

Two of the biggest fools
that ever drew breath.

What do you say
we stop wasting it?

To us.

You said it, Brother.

Richard?

Richard?

Richard. Richard,
are you in there?

Richard. Richard, it's Alice.

Are you in there?

Richard.

Richard.

Richard.

Do you mind? Some
of us are trying to sleep.

- Alice, is something wrong?
- It's Richard. I think
he must be hurt or something.

What? What's going on?

You people know what time it is?

It's Daddy. Something's wrong.

Richard? Well, I left him
there not half an hour ago.

I woke up a few minutes ago
and saw he hadn't come to bed.

I came down to look
for him, thinking he might

have nodded off in
his chair or something.

- When I tried the study,
the door's locked, and no one answers.
- Don't you have a key?

That's just it. There is no
key. The lock's one of those

old-fashioned hinge types that
can only be latched from the inside.

Richard.

Richard! Open up!

Here, I'll do it. Stand back.

Richard!

He's dead.

Oh, my God.

The ruby. It's gone.

Sorry, sir.

Seth.

I finally patched things up with
Richard in there, just a little while ago.

Oh, Seth, I had no idea.

Years of petty
grievances fallen away.

We were brothers again.

I need some fresh air.

Well, what about some
sort of secret door or panel?

Trust me, Lieutenant. The
only way in or out of that room...

is through the door or windows,
all of which were locked from inside.

- You're sure there was no one
else in the room when you broke in?
- No one human.

The ruby was
supposed to be cursed...

At least according
to Vikram Singh.

- What was that name?
- Vikram Singh.

He's the cultural attaché at his
country's embassy in Washington.

Check on this Singh. See
if he was involved in those

Muslim protest demonstrations
a couple of weeks ago.

Uh, forgive me, Lieutenant,
but Mr. Singh mentioned

that he had attended the
festival of Divali last year,

which, if I remember correctly,
would make him a Hindu, not a Muslim.

Excuse me, Lieutenant.
We're just about to wrap it up.

- Fine. Thanks.
- Why don’t you - wrap it up, Lieutenant?

Let my daughter get some rest.

- If you had done a proper job in the first place,
maybe this wouldn't have happened.
- Look, Mr. Davies...

It is rather late, and perhaps
we could continue this tomorrow.

Oh, right. Good point.

Let's call it a night, folks.

Mrs. Fletcher, just between the
two of us, which one are you with?

I beg your pardon?

Well, I first suspected
after our talk in the garage,

but that bit about Muslims
and Hindus— dead giveaway.

So which is it?
F.B.I.? C.I.A.? N.S.C.?

Lieutenant Ames, I don't know
who or what you think I am,

but I assure you, I'm simply a
mystery writer from Cabot Cove, Maine.

Cabot Cove. Nice touch.
Has a real ring of truth about it.

Well, possibly
because it is the truth.

- Oh, right.
- Honestly!

Oh, I get it. When you want me to
know, you'll tell me. I can deal with that.

Morning, Mrs. Fletcher. Oh,
good morning, Lieutenant.

Uncover anything yet?

Lieutenant, I told you last night. I am
not a government agent. I'm a writer.

You bet. So what have you
got? Well, unfortunately, nothing.

From what I can tell, the windows
haven't been tampered with,

and there are no footprints,
except our own, of course.

It looks as if whoever was the
murderer wants us to believe in that curse.

Oh, I get it.
Disinformation tactics.

I don't care if he's arguing a
case before the Supreme Court.

I want a copy of my father's
will delivered today, understand?

Or he can kiss our fat
retainer's fee good-bye.

Lawyers. Can't live with
them, can't die without them.

So it seems. In a pretty big
rush to see the will, aren't you?

Considering your
father's hardly cold.

Lieutenant, my father was
never anything but cold.

And selfish and vindictive and—

That's a lie!

You're hardly in a position
to judge, Uncle Seth,

considering you hated him so much
you didn't speak to him for 30 years—

Until yesterday.

- Is that true?
- It is.

- Mind telling me all about it?
- I sure as hell do.

Seth, may I come in?

Suit yourself. If you're planning to leave
with me, though, you'd better get packed.

Leaving?

There's no law that compels me to
stay here and be accused by innuendos.

If they think I killed my brother
Richard, they should arrest me.

Don't tempt me. Fact is,
we're running a check on some

prints we found on some
whiskey glasses last night.

Oh?

Perhaps I can help you.

One of those sets
of prints is mine.

Richard and I stayed up
last night, talking over a drink.

Talking? Two guys who hadn't
spoken since Ike was in office?

What were you,
making up for lost time?

Yes. Yes, you might say that.

More important, can
anybody else say that?

If you're asking whether I have a
witness or not, the answer is no.

Seth, what time did
you and Richard talk?

Oh, I don't know. Must
have been for a couple hours.

Probably between
10:00 and midnight.

Seeing the coroner estimated the
time of death between 12:00 and 12:30,

that makes you the last
person to see him alive.

- Except the murderer.
- You expect me to buy this
phony reconciliation story?

Lieutenant, believe me, you
have it on the highest authority.

Highest authority?

Does that mean, uh...

What is— You telling me...

In other words, uh...
Excuse us a moment.

Are you telling me
Dr. Hazlitt is one of us?

Lieutenant, I told
you. There is no "us."

Sure. You bet.

So, where do we go from here?

Houdini himself couldn't have
gotten out of those windows.

Well, unless I'm very much
mistaken, Richard's killer didn't either.

Here. Look at this.

Feels a little like tar. Mm-hmm.

I think that it is
tar— Of a sort.

I also think I know exactly...

how the locked room was
accomplished. You do?

Whoever killed
Richard lit a cigarette...

and placed it
here, in the latch,

then closed the
door very quietly.

When the cigarette burned,
leaving the tar residue that you felt,

it simply allowed the
latch to fall into place.

You feds really know your stuff.

But who'd have gone through
all this trouble for that ruby?

It was certainly no
secret, Lieutenant.

The Eye of the Daanav had
been presumed lost forever.

But when we suddenly learned it
had been bought by Mr. Hazlitt...

through a British
collector two weeks ago,

I was immediately ordered to try to
purchase it on behalf of the Indian people.

The stone must mean a
great deal to your country...

for you to have offered
Richard twice what he paid for it.

When it comes to the Eye
of the Daanav, Mrs. Fletcher,

no price is considered too high.

- Including murder?
- Are you suggesting
I killed Mr. Hazlitt?

You make as good
a suspect as any.

On the contrary, Lieutenant.
I tried to save his life...

by offering to buy the ruby and rid
him of the very curse that killed him.

Richard wasn't killed
by that curse, Mr. Singh,

but by someone all too human.

If that is your belief, uh,

I see no point in
further questions.

This could have
international ramifications.

I say we'd better
alert Interpol.

Or have you already
taken care of that?

I'd advise you not to plan any
sudden vacations, Mr. Singh.

Only a man with
something to hide runs away.

Excuse me, Mr. Singh.

Aren't you going to
put on your other glove?

Just a minute. Let
me see that glove.

But I don't get it. We
caught him red-handed.

Well, that is precisely what is
bothering me, among other things.

What other things? Look, Singh tried
to murder Mrs. Hazlitt to get the ruby.

And when that didn't
work out, he came back

after, uh, the doc and
his brother had their talk,

killed Richard
Hazlitt, stole the ruby...

and then rigged it
to look like the curse.

Sounds logical to me.
Yes, but don't you see?

If the attack on Alice was
related to Richard's murder,

I mean, it's extremely unlikely
that Mr. Singh is the killer.

- How come?
- Because whoever started
that car in the garage...

had to have known that Alice would
be there to get Richard's present.

Something that Mr. Singh
had no way of knowing.

What about finding the
ruby in Singh's glove?

Well, frankly, I doubt that an
intelligent man like Mr. Singh...

would have deliberately
hidden the ruby in the glove...

and then put it
on in front of us.

No. I suspect that
Mr. Singh's only crime...

was indulging a moment of
weakness when he found the ruby...

and then tried
to slip out with it.

Then you're suggesting the real killer
planted the ruby on Singh to frame him.

Well, if Singh didn't
murder Richard, who did?

- Carolyn Hazlitt.
- Hmm?

She's here. You told me to tell
you when she arrived, Lieutenant.

- Yeah. Send her in.
- Yes, sir.

- Uncle Seth.
- Carolyn.

What's going on? Why
have I been summoned here?

Wouldn't know.

It's about money,
Miss Hazlitt. Uh-huh.

32,000 that we know of.

And it could be more.
I'm sorry. I don't...

When the murder hit the
papers, so did your face.

Earlier on we got a call
from a Mr., uh, Fred Jenner...

from the Delmarva
Collection Agency.

Is shopping you vocation,
Miss Hazlitt, or just a hobby?

- I like nice things,
and I can afford them.
- Well, you can now.

If you've got somethin' to say, Lieutenant,
perhaps you ought to spit it out.

Mr. Jenner has been
trying to collect from

you for several months,
without much success.

A couple of weeks ago he called
your, uh, late father, who told him, quote,

"Carolyn's debts are
Carolyn's problem," unquote.

If you think I killed my father
for an inheritance, you're crazy.

32,000?

Why, I could borrow twice
that on my jewelry alone.

Oh, no, Lieutenant. If
you're looking for a motive,

my stepmother's inheritance makes
mine look like milk and cookie money.

Or didn’t you know about that
outrageous insurance policy...

she made Daddy take out
during their honeymoon?

Dear Alice will get millions.

Mark, do you know
where I could find Alice?

She's probably
estimating what she can

get out of the paintings.
Try the living room.

Ah. There you are.

Lieutenant Ames asked me to tell
you that he'll be returning here at 3:00.

Oh? But I heard he'd
arrested Mr. Singh.

Well, apparently there have
been some complications.

Good. I never really believed
Mr. Singh did it. He seemed so... civil.

But Dad said finding the ruby
in his glove proved he was guilty.

Do you think I should serve tea?

Oh, I hardly think
that's necessary.

Then I'll just go and
freshen up. Excuse me.

Lab report. The
tobacco in the cigarette

used to trigger that
door latch was Turkish.

You're not surprised?

I would be surprised
if it wasn't Turkish.

You already heard. Well, your
sources are quicker than mine.

Well, it's—it's another obvious finger
of suspicion pointed at Mr. Singh.

I mean, someone could
easily have filched a cigarette

unobserved from the box
that he left on the table.

Lieutenant Ames, I understand
you wanted to see me.

Will this take long? Well, that
depends on you, Mrs. Hazlitt.

I've been in touch with
your husband's insurance

company. Now, hold
one bleeding minute!

Are you saying that my
daughter had something

to do with her own
husband's murder?

I'm afraid that's why we
asked you to be here, Bert.

But, Mrs. Fletcher,
it's not true.

Of course it's not.

Don't you remember? She
was nearly killed herself.

What better way to avoid suspicion than
to pretend to be nearly a victim yourself.

Pretend? Yes. My guess is...

that you started
that car yourself,

waited by the door until
you heard someone coming,

and then you quickly
locked the door and then

pretended to be unconscious
when they came in.

That's insane. Come off it!

You were there. You
saw how ill she was.

Then why did she refuse
to go to the hospital,

unless she had plans that
meant she had to be home?

A beautiful girl of modest means
marries a wealthy, older man.

You better believe she has plans. Plans
to murder him the first chance she gets.

Singh bringing up that curse was
just the diversion you were looking for.

No, it's not true—any of it! Dad,
please, make them believe me.

It's no use, Mr. Davies.

When Mrs. Fletcher found the cigarette used
to rig that lock, that was the cincher.

You claim to have given up
smoking, but I happen to know that

you have a pack of cigarettes
stashed in the living room.

I never made that
claim. It's what Richard

wanted to believe.
I did try to give it up.

You're balmy!

She smokes English
cigarettes, not Turkish.

And just how did you know the
cigarette we found was Turkish, Bert?

Lieutenant Ames just received
the lab report only an hour ago.

Well, he—he just said it.

No. I didn't. Dad?

Now, don't you
listen to 'em, love.

- They're lying.
- I'm afraid not.

You see, after Alice's accident, I couldn't
help thinking how fortuitous it was...

that you and Mark had just happened
to come along in time to save her.

But I told you. I went
out to get me pipe.

That's what you said,
but I'm afraid it isn't true.

You see, when you joined Seth, I was
having a conversation with Mr. Singh.

You were carrying your pipe, which you put
in your pocket, in order to shake hands.

Are you saying that I deliberately
tried to kill my own daughter?

No, Bert. You never
intended to kill her.

You only wanted to raise
the specter of the curse...

so that when Richard was
found dead and the ruby missing,

we'd naturally
suspect Mr. Singh.

But you found that ruby
on Mr. Singh yourself.

Planted there by your father.

How else could he have told you
that it was found in Mr. Singh's glove?

Only five people knew that. The
lieutenant, Seth, me and Mr. Singh.

And the person who put it there.

It was you, Dad?

You left the engine running?

You locked me in the garage
with the carbon monoxide?

You nearly killed me.

No, no. No, love.

D-Don't you see?

I had it planned,
down to the second.

I had the key in me
pocket. If Mark hadn't have

found his, I would have
blown it there and then.

I would have opened the
door and got you out. I swear it.

Well, it was his fault.

I saw the kind of
man Richard was.

Cold, possessive.

King of the bloody world.

And now he owned you.

And he could show you off to
make people think more of him.

What kind of a life could
you have with a man like that?

But without him, you'd inherit.

Oh.

We could have been
so happy, you and me.

We was going first-class.

Never needin' a
by-your-leave from anybody.

Would have been grand.

Well, you do see?

You do see, don’t you, love?

I was—I was thinking of you.

Come on, woman. Time's wasting.

High-priority assignment?
No, please. I understand.

But I must say that
it's been a privilege to

work with someone of
your top security clearance.

Now, see here,
Lieutenant. For the last time,

I am not some sort of
secret government agent.

I'm simply Jessica Fletcher
from Cabot Cove, Maine.

Look.

Here is my—my
Social Security card,

my library card, my
voter’s registration card.

Now do you believe
me? Hey, Jess.

You'd better hurry if you want to meet
with that agent before he goes to Moscow.

Mos...

Best phony I.D. I've ever seen.